Luteoma of Pregnancy Presenting with Severe Maternal Virilisation: A Case Report.

Luteoma of pregnancy is a rare, benign condition characterized by a tumor-like mass of the ovary that emerges during pregnancy and regresses spontaneously after delivery. It is usually asymptomatic and the diagnosis is generally incidental. Luteoma arises from the proliferation of luteinised cell under the influence of ß-hCG and can be hormonally active, with production of androgens resulting in maternal and fetal hirsutism and virilisation. We report a case of a 25-year-old primigravida who presented at 28 weeks of gestation with virilisation symptoms. Serum androgen levels were seven-hundred-fold higher than normal. A diagnosis of pregnancy luteoma was made at the time of caesarean section. The ovarian mass, serum androgen levels, and the condition of the patient improved after delivery.

The Pacman Perforator-Based V-Y Advancement Flap for Reconstruction of Pressure Sores at Different Locations.

BACKGROUND: Many procedures have been proposed for the treatment of pressure sores, and V-Y advancement flaps are widely used to repair a defect. Unfortunately, the degree of mobility of a V-Y advancement flap is dependent on the laxity of the underlying subcutaneous tissue. This is an important disadvantage of traditional V-Y advancement flap and limits its use.We used V-Y advancement flaps as perforator-based to overcome mobility restriction problem, with a further modification (Pacman-like shape) to improve the covering surface area of the flap. METHODS: Between January 2012 and December 2014, the authors used 37 V-Y Pacman perforator-based flaps in 33 consecutive patients for coverage of defects located at sacral (n = 21), ischial (n = 13), trochanter (n = 1) regions. There were 27 male and 6 female patients with a mean age of 49.9 years (range, 15-74 years). RESULTS: All flaps survived completely (92.3%) except 3 in which one of them had undergone total necrosis due to hematoma and the other 2 had partial necrosis. No venous congestion was observed. The mean follow-up period was 14.9 months (range, 2-38 months). No flap surgery-related mortality or recurrence of pressure sores was noted. CONCLUSIONS: The V-Y Pacman perforator-based advancement flaps are safe and very effective for reconstruction of pressure sores at various regions. The advantage of our modification procedure include shorter operative time, lesser pedicle dissection, low donor site morbidity, good preservation of muscle, and offers remarkable excursion to the V-Y flap, which make the V-Y Pacman perforator-based flaps an excellent choice for large pressure sore coverage.

Inferiorly based parenchymal flap mammaplasty: a safe, reliable, and versatile technique for breast reduction and mastopexy.

BACKGROUND: Breast reduction and mastopexy are among the most frequent procedures in aesthetic breast surgery. Many approaches have been described, and various types of dermaglandular pedicles for the nipple-areola complex have been used. The authors present a technique suitable for either mastopexy or breast reduction whereby the superior or superomedial pedicle supplying the nipple-areola complex is combined with an inferior dermaglandular flap to restore the upper pole fullness, thereby improving breast shape and projection. METHODS: From January of 2008 to January of 2010, 83 patients underwent inferiorly based parenchymal flap mammaplasty. Patients' ages ranged from 23 to 65 years. The mean follow-up period was 27 months. The inferior breast tissue that is usually removed in a superior/superomedial pedicle technique is spared and shaped as a small implant and stitched to the pectoralis major muscle. The superior/superomedial pedicle is used for the nipple-areola complex. RESULTS: All the procedures were successful. No major complications were reported. All the patients were very satisfied with the shape, size, projection, and upper pole fullness of their breast postoperatively as reported by the questionnaire. Comparative evaluation test scores of a four-member jury were significantly higher regarding breast shape (p = 0.007), projection (p = 0.0041), and upper pole fullness (p = 0.0028). CONCLUSIONS: The inferiorly based parenchymal flap mammaplasty is a safe, versatile, and reproducible technique. It demonstrates ease of pedicle shaping and breast remodeling in patients undergoing mastopexy and breast reduction. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.

Current indications for and comparative analysis of three different types of latissimus dorsi flaps.

BACKGROUND: Free tissue transfer with lower abdominal flaps for autologous breast reconstruction is not suitable for all patients. The latissimus dorsi (LD) musculocutaneous flap is an alternative, effective method for both immediate and delayed breast reconstruction. OBJECTIVES: The authors assess their experience with LD flaps for breast reconstruction, including indications for patient selection, donor site choice, aesthetic outcomes, complications, and patient satisfaction. METHODS: Charts for all patients who underwent breast reconstruction with one of three types of LD myocutaneous flaps during a three-year period at a single institution were retrospectively reviewed. Patients (n = 82) were divided into three groups: (1) 35 patients received a standard LD myocutaneous flap with implant, (2) 18 patients underwent a muscle sparing LD flap procedure with implant, and (3) 29 patients had an autologous LD flap. A questionnaire was administered to assess flap and donor site complications, aesthetic outcomes, patient satisfaction, and shoulder function. RESULTS: Flap complications occurred in 13 patients (15%). Donor site complications occurred in 24 patients (28%), mostly consisting of back seroma with the autologous LD flap. There was no significant difference in shoulder range of motion or muscle strength between the operated and unoperated sides. Patient satisfaction was high in all three study groups. CONCLUSIONS: The LD is a safe, versatile, and reproducible technique for breast reconstruction. The procedure benefits from ease of flap harvesting and setting and may provide satisfactory results in diverse patients, including those for whom an abdominal flap is neither indicated nor feasible. .

Breast reshaping with dermaglandular flaps after giant lipoma removal: versatility of oncoplastic techniques.

Lipomas of the breast are benign lesions that do not raise great interest in the literature and their incidence is unclear. They usually are small, benign soft tissue tumors of fat cells that can be treated by simple excision. Although lipoma is a banal condition, it often causes diagnostic and therapeutic uncertainty. The first reason for this is the normal fatty composition of the breast. Second, it may be difficult to distinguish a lipoma from other benign or malignant lumps. This report presents a rare case involving giant lipoma of the breast that compromised most of the mass of the breast. After resection, the remaining breast was reshaped using multiple dermaglandular flaps to restore the breast mound, and contralateral breast mammaplasty was performed for symmetry. This case is a good illustration of the oncoplastic reconstruction options available after wide local excision.

Computer-aided diagnosis of melanocytic lesions.

BACKGROUND: The clinical diagnosis of melanoma could be difficult for a general practitioner and, in some cases, for dermatologists. To enhance and support the clinical evaluation of pigmented skin lesions a computer-aided diagnosis has been introduced. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Images of melanocytic lesions (477 total, 42 melanomas and 435 melanocytic nevi) evaluated in epiluminescence microscopy and recorded with x16 magnification were selected. A training set of 22 melanomas and 218 nevi was randomized from the dataset. The test set was formed by the complement (the remaining 20 melanomas and 217 nevi). Furthermore, a set of images consisting of 31 melanomas and 103 nevi was selected to compare the discrimination capacity of three general practitioners and three dermatologists with experience in dermoscopy (2 years), and with the automatic data analysis for the melanoma early detection system (ADAM). Sensitivity and specificity were estimated for observer assessments and computer diagnosis. RESULTS: The entire dataset used to test the implementation of the diagnostic algorithms ADAM showed a good sensitivity and specificity performance. Compared with the physicians, the ADAM system showed a slightly higher diagnostic performance in terms of sensitivity and a lower one in terms of specificity. Dermatologists showed higher levels of specificity, but lower levels in terms of sensitivity, when compared with the general practitioners. CONCLUSION: Image analysis has the potential to distinguish nevi and melanomas and to support the clinical diagnosis of melanocytic lesions by the general practitioner.